Unease grows amid exodus from Tokyo

Euronews

Worried residents are thronging Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. There are long queues at check-in desks and the majority of flights are fully booked. Haneda handles mainly domestic travel – these are people desperate to be anywhere in Japan but Tokyo.

There is huge uncertainty over the threat of nuclear radiation from Fukushima. One woman said there were power cuts and she was worried about nuclear fallout.

In downtown Tokyo, shops are closing early and dimming their lights to save energy. “It is like a different city,” she says. “It is very dark with no lights from the buildings. Even the electronic advertising billboards have been shut down to save energy.”

Radiation levels in Tokyo are barely above average. It looks like fear and panic could cause more problems in the city than any actual fallout from Fukushima.